More Theft Charges Filed Against Nebraska Guardian

(AP) — More charges have been filed against a 70-year-old Nebraska Panhandle woman accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from state wards.

Judy Widener, of Bayard, has been charged with nine felony and two misdemeanor counts of theft. She originally was arrested on one count of theft. She’s pleaded not guilty. Her trial is scheduled for early June.

Widener, the president of the Safe Haven Inc., was arrested in November following a Nebraska state auditor’s report that said she took for her personal use more $35,000 intended for court-appointed wards.

State Auditor Mike Foley says Widener used a complex array of credit cards and dozens of bank accounts containing more than $600,000 as part of her scheme.